How to Get Off Marijuana

Someone recently responded to one of my blog posts, asking for some guidance in getting off marijuana after smoking it regularly for 20 years. The reader is struggling with depression—common to early recovery from both alcohol and marijuana, is taking a prescribed antidepressant, and wanted other suggestions, particularly those that might help with the depression. I answered the query with the following:

Marijuana takes a long time to recover from. A man in recovery from marijuana addiction spoke at an addiction conference I attended some years ago. He said: "It took three years before the marijuana bubble burst." While it may not take quite that long in every case, it can and usually does take longer than expected. In part this is due to the complex nature of the drug itself, in part how long it takes one's brain to be able to rewire itself, correcting whatever unfortunate changes the pot managed to make. Every person is unique in multiple ways, and differences show up in personality, traits, and susceptibility to addiction, meaning how fast you become addicted, and how fast your brain rewires itself post-addiction. In my own practice I've seen it take three years to recover from marijuana, but not always. Negotiating the rather wild waters of recovery depends upon what damage regular pot used made in your life—your social and economic life, your relationships, your spiritual life if that is important to you.

The next part of recovery—getting over the problems drug use caused in your life-—is not physiological per se, it is more dependent upon cognitive and behavioral habits, psychological factors, and therefore more under your direct control in terms of setting things right again, picking up the broken pieces etc. I have seen people make progress more easily when they are able to get involved in a 12-step recovery program like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or if there are meetings close to where they live, MA (Marijuana Anonymous). What going to AA etc. meetings does is provide someone in recovery with a social group that doesn't use drugs—and in this "better living through chemistry" world we live in, that can be helpful. In the ordinary day in the lives of ordinary people, they may walk into an ordinary store with drugs on prominent display—different strengths, different flavors, different colors, but right out there, our legal drug alcohol. That’s a better living through chemistry culture. So finding people to socialize with, hang out with, people who don’t use drugs, is sometimes difficult. People using drugs ordinarily hang out with others who are using drugs, and recovery can mean the end of a whole social circle for the recovering addict. So if it is possible you would be wise to find a local AA or NA or MA meeting and go every day, or as often as there are meetings. If that is not possible, try to find another social group that is not based on drinking or drug use. If your drug use isolated you socially, you definitely need to head out to find social groups with whom to interact. This is so difficult to do while you are depressed, but you can do it slowly but surely. In early recovery paranoid ideas, obsessions, fears, worries are hum-drum, common. But these screwy, frightening thoughts so routine for people in early recovery are to be ignored as much as possible, they’re unreal, they’re wrong, and meaningless.

Another source of support in early recover. Consider hiring a “professional” to go through it with you. This includes psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, or community peer counselors. Here I’m suggesting you find one person to talk to who knows something about addiction and who also knows something about depression. In a 12 step program it is advised that people in early recovery get a "sponsor" who serves as that person—in fact, people often recover more quickly when they have both an AA sponsor AND some kind of individual therapist who can support their continuing abstinence as well as their involvement in AA. An AA sponsor may be afraid of symptoms of depression, so if that’s a big part of the picture for you, then definitely find a therapist. A cognitive-behavioral therapist (CBT) may be helpful, although you might also make good use of a general "talk therapist" who knows cognitive behavioral techniques. CBT and talk therapy that uses techniques from CBT have been empirically studied as treatment for depression, and they have been found effective. These things really make a difference, both to the course of a depression, and to recovery from drug addiction.

Using an anti-depressant is also an excellent idea—it will help your brain begin to make proteins ("Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor" or BDNF) that will lead to it producing new neurons in a process known as "neurogenesis.” So getting treated with an antidepressant prescribed by an MD is a wise move. Ask your doctor to start you on a low dose, and increase your dose very slowly. This will help you avoid what are commonly referred to as “side effects.” Stick with the psychopharmacological treatment, and stick with the prescribing physician—whether he/she is an internist or psychiatrist. Make use of every possible kind of support. Give yourself permission to go all out on this one, you’ll never regret it.

Begin a program of meditation right now, today. Currently this is being called "mindfulness" but really, it is good old-fashioned meditation, an activity that’s been used to help people with “mind problems” for almost 5000 years. It is not hard to learn, try it today. Simply sit down somewhere and for three or four minutes, partly shut your eyes (or shut them completely if that is easier) and try to pay attention to your breath, breathing in and breathing out. You don't have to breathe particularly deeply, just breathe your normal way. You can count each breath with each exhalation. Or you can say silently, to yourself "I's breathing in, I'm breathing out." If three minutes is too long, do it for two minutes. Eventually you will be able to do it for longer. Don't worry about all the thoughts that come into your mind and drag your attention away from your breath—when you notice them, simply go back to paying attention to your breathing. Being dragged away by thoughts is entirely normal, it's how our minds work. Bringing our attention back to our breath is the magic, that’s the activity that rewires the brain. Doing this for very short periods of time in the beginning is much better than trying to meditate for a longer time that might get uncomfortable. You want to love your time meditating. I have written some simple instructions in how to meditate that I plan to post on my blog in Psychology Today. Daily meditation will rewire your brain. It will help regulate your emotions. That hyper-sensitivity to negative comments, to feeling rejected, will change. You'll become more resiliant

Start taking walks every day, the longer the better. Any physical activity or exercise you even half enjoy will help you. And exercise has been demonstrated to help rewire your brain more efficiently. Like anti-depressants, it kicks your brain into gear so that it begins making more BDNF.

Educate yourself about addiction disease. There are many books out there about it, many of which are written by recovering addicts just like you. Read their stories, learn about this disease that is as they say in AA "cunning, baffling and powerful." It is but it can go into complete remission and stay there by the simple method of not using any mind-altering, “recreational” drugs.

A side comment: You mentioned having drug dreams—where marijuana made an appearance. This is normal for people who are withdrawing from drugs. They are “warning dreams,” that is in your dream you are telling yourself that you are in danger of using marijuana again. You’re reminding yourself to be cautious, be alert and vigilant and avoid using marijuana. You also mentioned light drinking on occasion. From clinical experience I feel obliged to say that using “other” drugs, or drugs that were not the recovering person’s’ “drug of choice” is risky. Drugs often work to drop inhibitions, drugs interfere with decision-making. Using alcohol at all is likely to end up a problem. Being around people who recreate by drinking is a problem, because your recreational drug has been marijuana. As said above, find people who know how to relax and recreate while drug-free. You can do this.

Cut yourself some slack. Whatever "bad" or "stupid" things you did in your addiction are NOT your fault, they are the fault of the disease of addiction. Addiction highjacks the brain. It highjacks the part of the brain responsible for making decisions. It highjacks the pleasure center in the brain. These problems will be corrected with time off mind-altering drugs (and by this I do not mean antidepressants). What you do now, in your recovery, is your responsibility. But what happened in the past, put that aside. You will make amends if you need to, later. For now try to dump all the feelings of guilt, all your worries about other people. Try to take these steps I've suggested, even if you are weighed down by depression. The ups and downs of pot withdrawal are difficult, but they will diminish slowly but surely, and you will recover completely.

hello
my son has been smoking this for quite a number of years, his friends do it so its a keep in the group ,cool thing to do.
as a concerned mum i want to help him get off it but he refuses to let me in
. is there any sort of step by step guide, training , of such to get off this he can follow
from a heart renched mum watching him crumble away

If only there was a guidebook: "How to Help Your Adult Child Whose Using Drugs" for parents, friends, partners, other loved ones...a step by step training as you mention. But there isn't. There is an amazing program, "Al-Anon" which is for loved ones of addicts and alcoholics --and it's great, it tells you over and over to stop focusing on the addict and instead focus on yourself. While that is good advice for everyone, there is the parent's sense of responsibility to at least be aware of the condition their children are in, no matter how old they are. Many say this is an "overly-enmeshed" mother or father but I don't quite agree with that perspective. Parents (often but not always the mother) don't want to spend all their time worrying --they do it when something is really wrong, when their child --young or adult-- is sick. So your concern and heart break is quite normal, it's signaling you that you son is in trouble. That said, there is probably little you can do with him directly but have faith in him that he will pull through this. Obviously you've been a concerned and involved parent, you've loved him and somehow int he end, that means more than you can imagine.

While I'm saying I don't think there is anything you can do directly with your son, there are a few things you can do for yourself and your household. First, if anyone is "using" any mind altering substances in your household (and that includes alcohol) tell them to stop, not to do it in your home. This brings a very powerful message to adult children. Second, go to Al-Anon and really do your own program. If anyone tells you you're "worrying to much" ignore him or her. Find a sponsor who has gone through this with her children. You have to worry, its normal. But when a parent goes into Al-Anon something amazing happens in the whole family --its like bringing the message of recovery to every family member. It has some kind of domino effect and i've seen this so often. Your son will see you change, however that goes --maybe less anxiety, maybe you'll get less depressed and worried, but working a program changes people, it just works. I think this is by far the most powerful thing you can do. Try it and see what happens --its free, it definitely can't harm you, and if you live in a community where there are no Al-Anon meetings, they now have them and lots of them online.

I hope this helps you at least a little. You can of course also seek out a counselor or psychotherapist who knows something about drugs, if that interests you although it can be quite costly. And there is nothing like hearing the stories from people who have gone what you're going through. This is really how AA and NA work as well. So these are my suggestions --there is no guide book, every person, every "case" and every addict is different, so how you do this is going to be specific to you, but try to get to Al-anon and talk to people, and see what happens!

First, I would like to say thank you so much to Dr. O'Connor for writing articles about marijuana addiction. I've spent the past year trying to quit after smoking daily for 14 years. Which has seen me relapse twice.

Next, to Leanne, I think the best avenue is to be supportive and offer help. Maybe take your son to AA or MA meetings, to see a professional, or just talk to a former addict. I can speak from experience that ignoring the problem is a terrible thing to do. When my mother found me smoking weed back when I was a teenager, she did not offer help, in fact she kicked me out the house. Even after making amends she still ignored my drug problem like the rest of my family. If I would have received counseling or therapy or analysis for depression, things may have been different.

Sometimes people are wary of letting other people take control of their lives. One of the main reasons I liked smoking was because it let be choose how I felt instead of any circumstances outside of myself. So it's important for you to show your son that he is the one who makes the active decision to quit and that you will be supportive but not intrusive.

Hi David: Thanks for your response to me and to Leanne. As you'll see from my reply above, I suggest that rather than Leanne try to take her son to a meeting, she get into Al-Anon herself --I have seen this be the most effective thing a parent or partner or other loved one can do. It is so hard to stop smoking marijuana --Its far more addictive than people realize, and the tricky thing is that some people can really smoke once in a while and then leave it alone for a long time, whereas other people can't do that, they become addicted. I think you are right that Leanne's son would not like her to tell him what to do, but by her going into recovery in Al-Anon, she is sending a powerful message. If your family had done that, you wouldn't have felt so alone with your marijuana addiction. You show enormous strength in how you've been hanging in there while struggling with this drug. I am sure you know to go to AA and/or NA yourself, there is nothing more helpful really. And know that marijuana withdrawal has physical symptoms --they seem all emotional, but really they are physical and represent neurological changes. For example when recovering addict had a huge craving for their drug --well it turns out that their body temperature has just dropped, right before or as the craving comes on. The person is not aware of it, but that's how physical this disease of addiction really is. Keep on keeping on, I know how hard it is to get off and stay off marijuana --but it sound like you are really doing it!

Hallo Lynn
First of all, this has been helpful, so thank you ;)
My comment is about the drop in body temperature. I have tried and failed to give up many times, I am 46 years old and have been a smoker for 30 years, daily for 25. I have been using an Indian herb called Neem , to help cure a nail fungus which has plagued me for a couple of years. (It works!)
Neem naturally raises the body temperature, and I'm just wondering if that has helped to make this attempt to quit easier than before? The cravings don't feel as intense, and I feel calmer.....I don't know , it's just a thought, but it may be helpful. Neem is a wonderful herb, but it tastes very bitter, so people might not like it. Good luck to everyone who is trying to stop. X

right off the bat I cannot take you seriously because you have a freaking phd and broke the cardinal rule of grammer- it is NEVER ME AND LEANNE!!! ITS FREAKIN LEANNE AND I- someone needs to review basic grammer DR Oconner- smh

Ok, a couple of things. Grammar is spelled "grammar." And you use "me" when it's part of a prepositional phrase. "Thanks for your reply to me and Leanne" is correct. Try harder, or follow your own advice and study up on "grammer."

My story for those that are interested… I smoked, spotted, bonged and consumed marijuana from around age 17 until I was 36 years old. I’m 42 now and have just started to feel like my life is back to normal. When I say normal I mean in the sense that my mental state is normal. Having said that, I still feel like I’ve led a pretty standard life. I partied just like everyone else, just that I was always was around weed. The only time I refrained was while I was in another country for a couple of years. (As an aside I did have a few years on E in the mix, but left that as that shit really does f**k you up. But that’s another story). Anyway through all this time I did function normally, got a degree, a good high paying job, got married and had kids. Looking back now there was definitely something ‘altered’ about my thought process. The reasons I stopped was 3 fold. I didn’t want to raise my kids around it, I worried about my health and wasn’t around any people would could supply it. It’s taken 6 odd years to recover for me. I found the effects on my mental state to be subtle but very clear to me now that I’m clean. At times of heavy use it was like I was in a fog. I had some dark times. I had some weird things happen. I remember 1 year went by so fast I couldn’t believe it. Looking back now I think it’s like I didn’t take notice of things. This caused time to slip by and also caused me to miss chances that would have made my life better. Relationships with other people can be slightly different because of pot. It’s very hard to put into words and the only way I can put it is that life is very subtle – one wrong word can sometimes put you at odds with another person. That could then miss you an opportunity that they could have offered. But because of the pot fog, I kinda didn’t consider it or think as deeply or worry as much as maybe I do now. I’m a lot more philosophical about things now, but that may also be because I’m older. Now I have my head back I find I’m trying to improve my education and abilities whereas in years gone by the motivation didn’t last or just shit happened, the planning wasn’t there. Life just went by one day to the next. Now I also spend heaps of time with my kids and now find them most enjoyable to be around. I think pot took away a certain drive. Having said all this, it does offer other things like relaxation and creativity but it does have to be taken in moderation, just like alcohol. And of course different people will be different. I have an addictive personality and smoked nearly every day. I may partake in another cone or too someday before I die, but it wouldn’t be until after the kids have left home. And I would stop myself getting in to the old routine again, because it’s so much fun and seems harmless, unless you know the truth. Would I do things differently if I had my time again? Yeah I wouldn’t do nearly as much weed, but the fact of the matter for me is that I just like it so much, and that my friend, is where the problemth lie. Know thyself.

Thank you for the wonderful description of your years of marijuana addiction. You perfectly describe "amotivational syndrome" that happens to many who smoke pot regularly. It is subtle but it wrecks lives. It sounds like you managed to "get through" but of course not as well as you might have, had you not been smoking pot. Pot addiction is pernicious because marijuana addicts often don't realize they're hooked, nor do they see the way it's screwing up their lives. They lack insight, which you've regained through living without it. I suggest you hang i there --at some point you may realize that much as you believe you "liked it so much" --well that's your addiction talking, not your sensible cognitive apparatus. I worked with someone who insisted --I think for 4 years or so-- after quitting, that he could write "better" on pot. 8 years later he laughs about that (he's now a PhD and wrote a dissertation, NOT on pot obviously. A problem with marijuana -differing from other substances-- is the subtlety of the ramifications, it's sneaky. Congratulations for quitting and thank for describing your experience so eloquently here.

I am so glad that I read your story. Today makes day 2 without. I've been smoking basically everyday for the past 17 years. I'm going to be turning 34 and I as I look back at my life, there is so many things that I have missed out on, because I wanted to get high or felt as I needed it. I've tried to quit before, but gave in easily. I think this is the time that I make it. I want to feel like I'm not in that fog anymore and have that motivation that I miss so much. I'll keep this updated as I move forward. Hope you're still clean!

How are things going with your addiction? I hope you are beating this and wish you the best! I am also 34 and smoked daily for 21 years. I've been clean now for 30 days. I am confident this is the time I beat this horrible addiction. It has destroyed all my relationships, mucked up my career and has held me in the fog for as long as I can remember. Confident it has increased my depression too which I've been battling my entire life starting around the time I began smoking at 13. Just lost the love of my life and my view on smoking has suddwnly done a 180 because of this. I've never before been repulsed by the smell of pot. This time feels different. Trying to take this experience with positive momentum. Losing someone truly special was the breaking point for me. She finally threw in the towel because of my consistent relapses. I am beyond crushed and have vowed to beat this at all costs. I can't bare to be emotionally devastated ever again by losing a special lady. She was beyond beautiful. Counseling has definitely been helping and setting new goals such as getting back in peak physical shape has been critical at this time. I pray we can beat this together brother. Stay strong, you can do it!

Thank you so much for your words of inspiration. Getting 30 days is a fantastic milestone! And reaching out to help others who are just beginning this really hard sometimes hair-raising process is the best thing you can do; it's the most important way to stay clean. So again, thank you for telling the story of your recovery.

Using marijuana (or any other recreational drug, including alcohol) is definitely not the same as taking an antidepressant medication. For starters, anti-depressants don't hit the "reward center" which in the case of recreational drugs, condition people to crave the experience "again and again." For most drugs of abuse it comes down to a rush of extra dopamine in the "pleasure center." Of course other neurotransmitters are involved, depending on the particular medication; but dopamine and the reward center seems to be at the heart of addiction, regardless of the specific drug. Most drugs of abuse flood the reward center with dopamine and that "feels good" reported by drug addicted people.

Hers's where the genetic and social factors come in; if someone comes from a family where one or more family members have become involved heavily with recreational drugs, it will feel "better" than it does for someone from a family with no history of addiction/alcoholism.And on the level of the social: If people come from a situation that provides no hopeful image of he future, that is constrained by poverty and discrimination, they may take on drug use as something "cool" they do with their friends, who are equally unemployed and bored. The socio-economic reality combined with genetic inheritance and recreational drug use spells the disaster of addiction.

Anti-depressant drugs don't flood the pleasure center with dopamine. They don't offer that "feel good" experience, there's no immediate reward. Therefore the conditioning to take "more" and "more simply isn't there. Furthermore, anti-depressant drugs are not addictive. Let me explain: Of course when you take any drug (or almost any drug, there are exceptions) your body --mainly your brain in the case of mind-altering substances, and those we think of as "recreational"-- gets used to it, and changes some in response. But with anti-depressants there is no "tolerance." What this means is that people taking antidepressants don't need to increase their dose to get the same effect over time.

Another important difference --it is possible to get off of anti-depressants without a withdrawal --that is if people get off of them slowly enough. The stories about horrible experiences getting off antidepressants are all coming from people who got off them much too quickly. Because one's physiology gets accustomed to the drug effects and is altered some, it is important to get off anti-depressant drugs in tiny increments, going down exceedingly slowly. In my clinical experience (meaning this is anecdotal data), withdrawal symptoms simply indicate that a person is coming off the anti-depressant too quickly. A very very slow withdrawal is indicated, and then there is nothing remotely like a withdrawal as we know it, as in the case of recreational drugs.

So --antidepressant drugs are nothing like recreational drugs and don't promote addiction. Starting on an antidepressant is not in any way replacing one addiction for another.

I tried both Lexapro and Wellbutrin this year for my depression and both messed me up. In fact, I had a horrible allergic reaction to Wellbutrin recently. It's now been one month since stopping wellbutrin after only 12 days of use and my blood pressure is still high (always had been exceptional before taking), I have horrible headaches, high pitched ringing in my ears which is unbearable often, nasty anxiety, and more. Before taking I suffered only from moderate anxiety and depression. I'm scared the ringing and pressure in my ears/head will never go away above all else this is literally driving me deeper into depression. Will this go away? I have always had a sensitive nervous system but even for me I thought it would be gone by now being 30 days since stopping. I'm scared. Can it take more than 30 days for my body to kick the wellbutrin out of my system? Please help. I need some peace of mind. My doctor hasn't instilled any confidence in me that it will go away. It's beyond hard to deal with.

Hi Mark:
I don't know enough about any individual's reaction to Wellbutrin to directly respond to your problem --but everyone is different, and what works for one person may be awful for someone else. This is common and why, when you start a new mind-altering drug, its wise to stay in close touch with a medical doctor --either a GP (General Practitioner) or if you feel your GP isn't answering your questions, then a psychiatrist or psychopharmacologist.

If you were getting an antidepressant because you were depressed in the wake of getting off pot or any other recreational drug --you may be experiencing drug withdrawal. Drug withdrawal often involves numerous biological symptoms. It may only seem like it was Wellbutrin because it happened at the same time as you were quitting drugs. An MD should be able to help you figure this out, and a specialist in mind-altering medicines will certainly have some answers.

You will get over the effects of quitting drugs, and you'll get over any effects of Wellbutrin. Try not to panic, you will recover. You might benefit from going to AA; if you go to meetings you will probably meet people who have had all kinds of reactions to getting off recreational drugs --and also antidepressants, both good and bad. And chances are, they all recovered. Getting off drugs is often very frightening, and can include numerous physical symptoms. So hang in there, see a physician, and you will get better.

Your encouraging the use of SSRI depressants in this article is negligent and dangerous. Your liberalized advice should be disregarded and ignored by any intelligent person.

There have been hundreds of cases of suicide and suicide attempts by people taking SSRI drugs. Apparently, you are not willing to disclose that well known fact. There have been hundreds of documented cases of suicide induced by SSRI drugs.

To make SSRI drugs look "sexy" to someone wanting to come off cannabis is to take advantage of a person in a vulnerable situation, someone who needs to led as far away from the pharmaceutical industry as possible for a solution to the simple behavior of using cannabis regularly or often.

An addictive personality will manifest addiction- consciousness in every aspect of their lives, work, relationships, food, hobbies, and so many other areas. You are a bit overreactive to the substance of cannabis, in my opinion. Your article has the tone of a witch hunt consciousness in back of it. What is your personal issue with cannabis? Whatever it is, it is hyper-exaggerated.

You should have disclosed that cannabis is not physically addictive. It is emotionally and psychologically habit forming, and yes, there are some potential side effects in withdrawal, but they are less severe than severe caffeine and tobacco addictions.

Jamie you are out of your mind bonkers- weed is definitely physically addicting u are nuts!! It ruins ur appetite and sleep, you cannot heal if you cannot sleep, it causes anxiety and depression and lung damage any smoke causes lung damage regardless of medium in fact new evidence has shown cannabis second hand smoke to be just as harmful if not more than tobacco I have the freaking lungs to prove it-and vaping pffffff- to say that cannabis is safer than SSRIs is completely false and a very misleading dangerous statement. AND WITHDRAWAL CAN BE PAINFUL IN YOUR STOMACH ABDOMEN AND LUNGS not to mention beyond uncomfortable and makes you weak-stop drinking the koolaid you sound like a FOOL!!!

I don't agree with your opinion that anti depressants are non addictive. If they were not, there would be no reason to ease off of them gradually. Also, why is it that there are patches and cessation aids for nicotene, but no equivalent aids for the marijuana addict? Perhaps that explains why those who try to quit cannabis end up failing so often. The existing mantra that cannabis abusers must quit "cold turkey" really is not supported by the high rate of relapse. Incidentally, I quit smoking cannabis 28 days ago -- voluntarily. Perhaps my choice not to join the cult of recovery aka 12 step groups is an unwise one, but I will choose my own path, and do this independently this time. I also believe that your concerns about cannabis use and abuse seem to be somewhat over-stated. Humans have used cannabis for thousands of years, but the prohibition hysteria prevalent in contemporary society is largely a by-product of fear, misinformation, and greed on the part of businesses who stand to lose revenues if cannabis were to be descheduled.

Using marijuana (or any other recreational drug, including alcohol) is definitely not the same as taking an antidepressant medication. For starters, anti-depressants don't hit the "reward center" which in the case of recreational drugs, condition people to crave the experience "again and again."

I have tried to get off Prozac by tapering. When I did it was the most terrifying five days of my life. After three days I felt more awful than I ever have, swinging between depression and fear like a switch. I originally took prozac because of social anxiety. Even though I immediately started back on the usual full dose of prozac it took a week of total misery to feel normal again. So I'm stuck on prozac, too terrified of WITHDRAWALS to try to escape from it.

Prozac is an evil drug. As for pot, what about medical users? Are they "drug addicts" caught in a vicious circle? I seriously doubt that.
I am now forced to research whether I can get free of the prozac curse with pot. In other words, I'm looking into turning to a far less potent and problematic drug to get off one that has been linked to causing suicide and worse in a percentage of the population!

Hi Steve, I suggest finding an alternative physician who can help you come off the Prozac. There are medical doctors, such as the staff at VRP.com and LEF.com who might be able to help you rid yourself of the Prozac without fear. You can even request them to request supplements that will relieve your social anxiety and I am sure they can help. Many of the staff are trained medical doctors with a specialization in nutritional medicine. Good luck. This woman who wrote this article is a total jerk.

SSRI anti-depressants are not only potentially harmful, but potentially lethal. They recirculate serotonin in the brain, which can be extremely dangerous. Their quiet accrual are difficult to keep track of due to the invisible way serotonin builds up. Also, there is such common prescription based negligence in the allopathic medical community, an insufficient follow up program with patients who are on SSRI anti-depressants, that fatalities occur and keep on occurring. According to various internet blogs and comments I've read, many people in need of additional serotonin take L-Tryptophan, a safe and natural amino acid, which produces fresh serotonin. It does not build up in the brain by a recirculation process as do SSRI's.

hi again thank you so much for your advice i have been speaking to a psychologist that deals with adolescent smoking this stuff. she has been helping me through it.
my son refuses my help or advice but i keep hanging in there he can be so hurtful though he says his slowly giving up but still looses his temper when i try to give him advice or tell him about others experiences some how we seem to always end up arguing because he just wants to hear what he wants and he seems to want to be the centre of attention and when i talk about others he gets cranky.
i want to give up on him and not talk to him or help him but i seem to keep bailing him out and talking to him even though some how it ends up in arguments, any sugestions im becoming a nervous wreck leanne

I know this can be so hard. First, you should know that kids, young adult kids who are using drugs etc. rarely take advice from their parents. So don't take it too personally. Second, maybe it would be a good idea to quit trying to give him advice. Of course you have to bail him out when you can, you're his mom and who else is paying close attention like you are. This is also --I think anyway-- a normal reaction for a mom or dad. Enabling is when someone actually helps a person keep on using. Some bailing him out is not enabling. That said, my strongest advice is for you to start going to Al-Anon, in a serious way. Like go almost every day, get a sponsor, work the steps, the whole thing. I think you will find other parents there, who are in similar situations, and that might be helpful and even comforting. Let me know how it's going.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever picked up was to treat the addict, but love your son or daughter the same. It is very difficult to see past the eyes of the addiction but I strongly agree just showing some support and him knowing you are always there will go a long way in his recovery. He will not lose hope all the while he fights this for himself and his family. the road to recovery (http://sobercollege.com/addiction-treatment-phases/road-to-recovery/) can be difficult but creating goals can help drive success.

Hi, every one
I can't believe others are struggling with the same thing, it is good to know that I actually have an addiction that people do recognize.

I started smoking weed when I was 12 and have had it on almost a daily basis since, I have managed to completely isolate my self from the world around me and am only now coming to the realisation that the weed is to blame.

My biggest problem is my mind set, I somehow seem to have convinced my self I do not enjoy things as much when I am not stoned, and also find my self easily frustrated with the smallest things.

A strange thing is I managed to give up smoking tobacco but this is so much harder, when I have some green I always tell myself "this is the last time I will quit when this runs out" but when the next day comes I just go mad for it and cannot help my self.

I feel that now it is starting to have a major effect on my physical health, I sweat easily and have very low energy levels and zero motivation every little thing becomes a chore. I have blamed every thing for this (even going for blood tests etc...) but only the weed remains so it is time I did something about it.

So my question is should I see my GP and get a anti-depressant ?
I tried them years ago and they did not do much for me
Do you think it would help me to quit ?

Thanks for giving me somewhere to tell my story, I am sure this alone will make a diffrence.

I have the same question, I really feel like I should be seeing someone about this problem. I have been through so many jobs, it to feed my addiction. I need some help to kick this and a Doctor seems like the first place to start.

I don't know how to bring it up though. How do I even start that conversation with a doctor? I know that I feel depressed and guilty when I smoke. I feel like a failure everytime I buy another bag but I still do.

It takes courage to begin the conversation --but once you start, you'll find it easy because most doctors know a great deal about addiction, and believe me most doctors know other doctors, attorneys, judges, mothers and fathers, CEOs, constructions workers, office workers, tech workers, etc. --across the society there are people who get addicted to drugs. There is nothing to feel ashamed about; drug addiction is a biological problem and the "treatment" is to stop using. Most people who get addicted have a biological vulnerability, meaning they inherited it, it's somewhere in the family of origin. Being addicted to a drug says nothing about your personality or character, it can happen to anyone who is vulnerable, or even to people who aren't vulnerable but are given an addictive drug regularly. We live in a "better living through chemistry" culture. If you walk into any grocery store or corner store in any American city you'll see the most commonly used drug --alcohol-- on display, in every flavor, every strength, every color. Drug are everywhere, and your doctor will have many patients who have ended up needing support as they go through the process of quitting. Just summon your courage and get the ball rolling, talk to your doctor. I think you'll be happily surprised at her or his reaction, the support and admiration you'll receive. It takes courage to begin the conversation, and it takes courage to go through the process of kicking a drug. And doctors are well aware of it. So go to it. And let us know what happens.

For some reason I was only now notified about your comment --so my reply is late, but I wanted you to know I read it, and I was glad you wrote it --you are in good company (or were, you may have gotten through this by now). Let us know what happened.

The feeling that you don't enjoy things except when you're stoned is because it's true --once you're addicted to a drug you need the drug to feel "normal" and without it, nothing is right. The problem is that once addiction sets in, nothing is right even when using. In some way or another, drugs --all of the recreational drugs, that is-- stop working. What felt helpful in the beginning stops working. So while you may need to use to feel normal, even then you're not really normal; you suffer from all the symptoms you describe. Getting frustrated (and angry) is common with pot use --if you haven't just smoked, you will be easily irritated as you mentioned. Motivation fades away.

Getting help from as many sources as possible is always wise. For sure talk to your GP, and maybe see a psychiatrist to discuss medications, they may be helpful. In addition --you are right about it being helpful to tell your story --so go to Marijuana Anonymous, or Alcoholics Anonymous and talk to people and listen to their stories, you'll get a great deal of encouragement and strength from going to meetings. There are many pot addicts in AA, so if there isn't an MA meeting near to you, AA will be fine. You don't have to completely accept everything in the program; "take what you like and leave the rest" is a slogan you'll hear often, and it's good advice. Just take the parts of the program that work for you, and keep going to meetings. "Keep coming back, it works" is something said at the end of most meetings, and that too is true. While getting off a drug you need something to replace it and activities are your best bet --like going to meetings, meeting other people who've had problems with drugs and are now in recovery. Physical exercise is helpful, get into going to a gym or walking or even running. If you loved a sport at any time, try it again. Or music. Or writing. Action is the best remedy for the moment.

You can do this. And once you've done it, kicked your habit, you can help others do the same. The way many programs work is getting you to a place where you can become the helper.

First of all, I want to say that this article gave me a lot of insight about (stopping with a) marihuana addiction.

Next, I want to tell you something about my own situation.
I started smoking weed when I was at university (age 18). It didn't take long before I started using it every day, and this for 27 years now (I turn 45 later this year). Despite my drug abuse, I managed to get a PhD in science, and always had a decent job since then ...
My wife Emily (age 40) has been using for 20 years (since the start of our relationship). She was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 10 years ago, and she had to quit her job 5 years ago. Since then, things went downhill for her, and she got into a depression and complete isolation. She takes anti-depressants since, but kept on smoking ...
As with most addicts, the pot dominated our lives. It was the first thing we did in the morning, and the last thing before we went to bed. Our social live was nearly non-existant because we always preferred smoking over other things (family meetings, activities with non-smokers, ...).

Last year, Emily searched for help and went for 6 weeks to a psychiatric hospital, and we managed to stay clean for about 2 months, but then relapsed :-(

She went back to a(nother) psychiatric hospital a few weeks ago, and now we are really determined to start our drug-free lives! Emily is clean for nearly 2 weeks now, has attended several AA-meetings since, and she is doing well. She has professional guidance, and obviously this helps a lot!

Personally, I stopped using 3 days ago on my own. And it's hard. I can handle the craving quite well, but suffer from sweating and I barely slept the last nights ... But as I said before, I am determined to do the right thing this time. If I can't handle it, I will definitely consider trying to go to my doctor if needed, and I will also try the tips mentionned here (meditation, walks with our dog).

Thanks for giving me a forum to post my story (and for reading it). Any tips/comments/help are appreciated.

PS Excuse me for my faulty English, as I am not a native English speaker.

Thanks for sharing your story. You can do it! Pot is such an insidious drug --the symptoms of addiction at least early on are subtle, barely perceptible --until as you describe, everything else begins to fade into the background, as you wake up with marijuana, and go to sleep with marijuana, it's become the center of your life. It's great that you are seeing this so clearly. I recommend you and your wife go to AA, and go now, while in withdrawal. It certainly can't hurt you and it's free. 90 meetings in 90 days --after all you smoked pot every single day, so go to a meeting every single day.

I am 32 years old and have smoking marijuana off and on for 13 years, my heaviest use was within the last four years, and my very heaviest was in the last year (about a half ounce a week) I am quitting so that I can go back to school and get my Registered Nurse degree and achieve my dream of working in hospice and pallative care.

I quit cold turkey, no tapering, and actually spent my last week smoking like crazy to "go out with a bang". The withdrawal has been hell. I never thought I would be so miserable! My ex smoker friends and husband tried to prepare me for the nightmares and insomnia, but I am experiencing so much more than that:

The insomnia, I have been taking melatonin as well as benadryl, and this helps me to get around 3 hours of sleep before being woken up with nightmares that would make a sane person think s/he were insane. I have also been soaking the bed every night with night sweats, which leads to me shivering and spending the next two hours just trying to get comfortable again.

My appetite is nonexistent to the point where I am tracking my calories and nutritional needs to make sure that I am at least meeting 800-1,000 calories a day, and have even added protein shakes because I am just not able to eat.

I have added b vitamins, because I have read that those can help as well.

The sweating is all day and all night. The stomach cramps are in the morning, which last until around noon. I just can't eat.

On the plus side, even with the lack of sleep, I do have more energy during the day and am more clear headed and motivated to accomplish tasks that I've procrastinated with for too long. These accomplishments fuel me to keep pushing forward.

I have no choice but to suck it up and deal for as long as the symptoms last. I realized that if my marijuana habit keeps from accomplishing my dreams, that means that I have a problem. I will most likely never smoke again, for it would jeopardize my career as well as take me back to the way too chill and unmotivated person that I realized I was while smoking.

On a quick side note: I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder at 19. Luckily, I have a great therapist who also happens to be an addictions counselor, so he has been a great resource. I also take celexa everyday as I have been for many many years. Also, I taught myself very early on in my diagnosis to use deep breathing and meditation to help alleviate my anxiety.

I am not looking for advice, I am fully aware that this will all end eventually! One thing that has really been helping me is staying busy, exercising, and meditation. Also, eating a clean diet has been helping immensely as well.

To all my other peeps on here, struggling, the symptoms are real, they suck, but will go away. Stick with it: your withdrawals are a sign that we were both mentally and physically addicted to marijuana. And that's no good, and the worse the symptoms, the harder we need to work to prevent relapse: I don't want to be a slave to marijuana anymore!

Good luck, and every day that you are drug free, be proud of yourself!!! We are always so hard on ourselves when we make mistakes, but we forget to celebrate our accomplishments. One day at a time!

I started smoking in high school and it became a big time habit in college. Before my last year at college I quit cold turkey. I was very determined and stayed off for about 19 years!

Without any particular reason except perhaps feeling in control of my life I started again. I guess it was some kind of mid life crisis. At first it was interesting how hard it was to "schedule" as I have a family and job. It quickly grew to a daily habit. It was obvious that it was an unsustainable habit, but in fact I could sustain it just fine. The negatives were fairly mild.

I quit for a couple months, and again for about the same. Maybe I quit 3 or 4 times--each for between a week and 2 months. For the past year or so I sincerely told myself EVERY NIGHT and even if I woke up at night, that TODAY I would quit. The only way to quit is to get rid of all supplies. The few times I did quit I tossed the bong and pot shortly after smoking. I kept thinking if I was going to quit I had to do this part of it while straight. I wasn't straight very often, so that was probably never going to happen. Anyway, a week and 12 hours ago, I said f-it, and tossed everything even though I was still a bit high.

Even the times I only quit for a week I figure I was still better off.

My biggest reason to quit was always because I don't think it does my lungs any favors. Yes, I had a vaporizer but that's not quite as good--plus I think part of my reason to smoke is some kind of thrill of not getting caught--and using a vaporizer is not as quick. I also think my job is at a slight risk though I work for myself. Eventually, I'll get no clients because I'll be "that guy"--some old "drunk". It's not exactly great for a relationship when I'd rather get stoned than do something with my wife!

So, with all these reasons let me share why I really wanted to quit THIS time. My 15 year old kid. For the past 7 years (after 19 years of being clean) I swear she has no clue I was using. But I began to wonder. And, if she doesn't know, that's moot as we do have what is likely typical parent/child issues... which, to be fair, could be 100% unrelated to me smoking. I just remember going to my friend's mom's house with him when I was a kid and she was a total alcoholic. He knew it and I knew it but neither of us put a finger on it. The point is that even if my kid didn't "know" she sensed something and it it's definitely a block to us having the best possible relationship.

I felt like I was having a double life. I'd smoke and then wash my hands and face and brush my teeth because I really didn't want anyone to know. The thing is, others knowing or not is unimportant. The pot was in between us and that's ultimately why I decided to quit again.

Hopefully my story helps others and me telling it helps me! I knew from experience that quitting meant I'd remember more of my dreams. I had never heard about nightmares but when I read that above it really clicked for me. This time I've three times (in,what? 7 days) woken up from some scary dream where I'm getting attacked or robbed. As expected, I've had many dreams where I slipped back into using one time and the basic theme of the dream is "there goes my streak of being clean". The thing is, THAT theme is a recurring dream (for me anyway) for years after quitting. More at first, but when I was off for 19 years, I'd still get that dream years later! This is the first time I wake from a nightmare so I sort of don't know what to think (though, I don't think dreams are terribly telling).

Another thing that's interesting is that I feel that I sort of beat myself up. I think "why can't I take control?"... or what a loser--I can't quit. Or, gee, "you quit last time for 19 years, lets see you do 20 years this time".

Seeing discussions like this help me overcome that issue because I can identify with other people's experience. I'll try to check back because I find most such discussions a valuable way to stay off.

My son smokes pot a lot. It makes me tired. He constantly looks me in the eye and promises he'll stop for sure "this time" but lies and goes behind my back and smokes with his friends before he gets home. He thinks i don't know and notice this but i do. He blames his stress of university and stuff on it. But even in his best moments he goes back to smoking. How can i help him? Some recommendations? Or should i leave him alone to deal with his problem? Any help would be highly appreciated

My son smokes pot a lot. It makes me tired. He constantly looks me in the eye and promises he'll stop for sure "this time" but lies and goes behind my back and smokes with his friends before he gets home. He thinks i don't know and notice this but i do. He blames his stress of university and stuff on it. But even in his best moments he goes back to smoking. How can i help him? Some recommendations? Or should i leave him alone to deal with his problem? Any help would be highly appreciated

My son was a daily smoker. At first he brought it up and said he smoked "occasionally". Eventually, i noticed that he couldn't get through a day without marijuana. So i decided try to help him one more last time. He was unable to concentrate normally for books, and was ashamed to go to doctors, so i found guide with videos and audios (like for a small child). And it helped!
Now you have two options like i once did: try help him at home, convince him to go to a rehabilitation center.
At the beggining I recommend you the same course i used http://bit.ly/1NnIlrv Let him listen to this programme and if he did not change his ways after that take him to rehab.

For anybody considering trying AD drugs to fight their marijuana addiction...DON'T. 7 months ago when trying to quit Marijuana I tried an AD drug and to this day I have problems with my hearing (high pitched ringing + pressure + popping sounds 24/7) and headaches. It has brought me on the brink of severe depression and pure frustration. Never suffered from any before but had an allergic reaction to the pill and these symptoms have persisted and morphed even. Worst decision of my life. I have been marijuana free for 7 months now and don't look back though. You know what did it for me? Healthy diet, routine exercise, and the will to live a drug free life. You can do it without drugs, go for it!

Simple exercise is the best and fastest way to induce neurogenesis. If you want to increase neurogenesis even more, take some extra virgin coconut oil daily. Take it every day. Take some good quality fish oil as well, getting high levels of omega 3 fatty acids.

Above all, don't listen to the idiotic advice offered by this woman, who earns her "bread and butter" from giving addiction therapy. She's just a economic mouthpiece for the (huge) community of psychologists and therapists in the Bay Area (lots of hungry mouths to feed). Additionally, please note the obvious: the more addicts this woman treats, the higher goes her income level.

Do not take anti-depressants to increase neurogenesis! Often, neurogenesis is postulated because the anti-depressants increase brain volume. Increasing brain volume might or might not be an intelligent thing to stimulate using a synthetic drug. What else happens to the human brain when its volume increases as the result of a synethic pharmceutical?

If you are considering taking an SSRI, be sure to read its long list of side effects, one of which is impotence. So after taking the SSRI, do plan on getting some Viagra to go along with it, if you wish to remain sexually virile.

Cannabis itself actually does increase neurogenesis. Please take a look at Joan Bello's book "The Benefits of Marijuana.”

ust to clarify something; I am neither advocating the use of cannabis nor discouraging its use. It is for each individual to discover whether and to what end cannabis should be engaged.

I am simply here to clarify the profoundly damaging advice offered in this article. This woman’s response to cannabis is downright hysterical. Hysteria, by the way, is a treatable disorder.

It is written in a state of canna-phobic hysteria. It is a pro-allopathic drug piece of right-wing propaganda. Here is what makes this article not only useless, but dangerous:

"Using an anti-depressant is also an excellent idea—it will help your brain begin to make proteins ("Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor" or BDNF) that will lead to it producing new neurons in a process known as "neurogenesis.” So getting treated with an antidepressant prescribed by an MD is a wise move."

A very "wise move" indeed; I've known several suicides due doctors' prescriptions of well known SSRI anti-depressants (you know the names: Prozac, Zoloft, etc.).

Dosing correctly with cannabis, due to its positive ability to treat so many illnesses, is of the utmost importance. Cannabis is a very potent, or mildly potent herbal substance, that, when used wisely, will enhance human lives, especially those living with diseases of various kinds.

Under-dosing and over-dosing will cause problems with cannabis use, just as problems are created using ANY herbal substance improperly. Misusing aspirin is cause for true hysteria, whereas ingesting cannabis in a reasonable manner should not be of a grave concern. Again, anything taken into the body unwisely will cause problems, especially things like refined sugar, which is much more addictive than cannabis.

If one wishes to or chooses to cease using cannabis, while the body has become accustomed to its effects over a long period of use, one should utilize things like nutrition, pro-cannabis counseling, exercise, meditation, and healthy, loving relationships.

However, to stop using cannabis and turn to SSRI anti-depressants is not just dangerous, but profoundly stupid, as cannabis acts as a superior anti-depressant when taken in the right amounts and frequency.

This author has a personal vendetta against cannabis and on the war path against it. The article's consciousness is simply an uninformed and emotionally hysterical document out to discredit a useful medicine that has been used for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, there are all sort of idiots writing on cannabis addiction these days who, like this writer, talk about cannabis "addiction" and alcoholism in the same breath, without distinction, as though they are related or even similiar.

Needless to say, read, move on to better sources. This person offers one of the least intelligent perspectives I have found in hours of research on regular cannabis use on the internet.

I tried antidepressants to get off weed and 6 months later my ears are messed up badly and I get brain buzzes and headaches after having taken it only 2 weeks. Had so many terrible allergic reactions. Horrible stuff. 20 years smoking and 0 negative physical effects. I agree, this article is filled with horrible information and advice.

Thanks Jaime. I have been cannabis free 7 and 1/2 months now! Exercise, meditation, spending time in nature, reading uplifting books, no news or television, and healthy diet and vitamins have replaced the herbs. I feel alive again! Cannabis simply wasn't for me anymore it seems, if ever. 20 years I smoked daily, can't believe it. I'm still very pro weed though as it most definitely has its place in the world, just not in mine anymore. Unfortunately I'm still suffering from ETD since taking antidepressants. They caused my sinuses to swell which included my inner ears. My nose was three times normal size at time. Ugh...these ear problems haven't quit though which are the worst. High pitched ringing 24/7, pressure, muffled hearing, and cracking sounds in ears among headaches and sometimes balance issues. The battle continues but I am hoping they heal eventually. That's all I can do now is hope, doctors can't find anything wrong with my ears but they are jacked up most definitely. I will never ever again take an AD pill, toxic crap. Forgiving myself for ever doing so has been a challenge.

That is great, Mark! Good luck as you continue to progress on your new cannabis-free life-style! As far as the ear issues, first, I would go to an ear doctor to get an ear cleaning. It could be that the byproduct of the cannabis, which is oily/waxy in nature (it will produce tar/plaque in the teeth as well), built up in the ears over time, along with your buildup of just regular ear wax. I've had some of the symptoms you've described and an ear cleaning worked immediately. Don't try to clean your own ears, though, as this could be risky; it's so delicate in that area, only a professional should do this delicate procedure. Ear doctors can manually clean out the ear canal in a safe and easy way using solid instruments (some doctors use suction technology also). The only other thing I can think of is a possible food allergy. I suggest finding a holistic doctor who can order a food allergy test. The most important ones to test for, in this context, would be: wheat, wheat gluten, gluten alone (wheat is not the only grain with gluten. For example, rye and oats also have gluten) milk, yogurt and lactose. I just saw a friend who had been off lactose for many years eat some whey powder and get an immediate ear ache! He stopped the whey and it went away! The food allergy test will test for many more things, by the way.

Soy is also a common culprit for food allergies. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. I also appreciate that you remain pro-cannabis for those folks who want to use it. I agree with you 100%. Thanks for remaining tolerant. I hope you stay cannabis-free and discover all that life has to offer in this new condition. Best Wishes.

UGH Jaime you are soooooo freaking WRONG!!! sure CBD for disease NOT THC- AND SORRY BUT I DONT LOOSE MY LUNGS, MIND, APPETITE, SLEEP ETC WHEN I DONT EAT A FUCKING COOKIE OR A PIECE OF CAKE, REFINED SUGARS MY ASS!! YOU KOOK! ANYONE OUT THERE THAT IS ADVOCATING THAT CANNABIS IS NON ADDICTIVE IS BLOWING LITERAL SMOKE-THE CHICK THAT SAID SHE WAS SWEATING THROUGH THE SHEETS WITH NO APPETITE THATS THE REALITY PEOPLE NOT THIS DRIVEL JAIME IS PUSHING- THE ONLY THING HE GOT RIGHT IS THAT ANTI D'S ARE FREAKING AWFUL BUT SO IS COMING OFF OF WEED- TO DOWNPLAY THE SEVERITY IS JUST FUCKED